Volunteer registration for Borealis 2023 is now open!
The volunteers are a vital part of the festival and we’d love to have you as a part of our festival team! As a volunteer you get to see how the festival works from the inside, meet interesting new people, have great concert experiences and last but not least you get certified work experience. Year after year, we get feedback from guests and artists that we have the friendliest and most helpful volunteers, and we hope you will join this year as well, to create Borealis – a festival for experimental music.
If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to get in touch with volunteer coordinator Émilie Fanor-Fontaine: frivillig@borealisfestival.no.
Areas of work
Venue Manager
Tickets, Information and Hosting
Are you an organised person? As a Venue Manager you are the first face the audience meets when they come to the concert arena. Your job is to make people feel safe and welcome. You’ll know where they need to go and what happens at what point. You’ll be selling and checking tickets at the door at various venues, as well as working in the Festival Office where guests and local artists come to pick up their accreditation. In this role the venue managers need to familiarise themselves with the festival programme and the arena in advance, so you have information about what will take place, and also practical info such as where the toilets and the emergency exits are. You are at work where it happens, and often get to see and hear a lot, always ready with a helping hand where needed.
Festival Kitchen
If you have experience in food and service let us know in the form
Do you like cooking? Do you want to help ensure that all of Borealis’ artists, delegates, volunteers and staff can be replenished with both food and love? Then you should sign up as part of the Festival Kitchen at Borealis. You will be guided by our fantastic chefs from Hallaisen, who put their heart, soul and hard work into creating a festival kitchen that gets everyone healthy, happy and full through intense festival days. The time will be divided between the kitchen, with preparation of meals and dispatch of food to various arenas, and tasks related to safe and pleasant serving. Our kitchen is known for making good healthy vegetarian food, and maybe you can bring some good recipes home with you?
Baking Squad
Do you want to be our “comfort manager” and fill the artist, delegate and staff’s stomachs with joy and sugar? Join the cake team and bake fresh and delicious treats every day of the festival. This position is probably the most appreciated one.
Communication and media
Posters and programme books distribution (start up January)
Spread the word! Do you like to go for walks and be outside in all kinds of weather? Driving around neighborhoods with flyers and posters everywhere people go? We need distribution volunteers to hang up posters and deliver flyers and programme books around Bergen and surrounding areas. Making the festival visible in the city becomes your main task, and is an essential part of the festival’s marketing. The job starts in January, which means that you will have more time off during the festival to go to events.
Social Media (before and during the festival)
Tell friends, colleagues and fellow students about concerts on social media! This little group will get to work closely with the communication team in Borealis to spread the news about the festival and its events on social media, mainly Facebook and Instagram. Interested in working with communication? Apply to this!
Video (before and during the festival)
Do you like taking photos or know how to use a video camera? Become a video assistant and get experience in documenting concerts. You’ll be working closely with Borealis’ videographer. We’re also looking for people who are interested in catching our volunteers on camera. You’ll help edit videos that show the amazing work that is being done behind the scenes and be in charge of posting pictures and fun material during the festival on the volunteer group.
Caretaker
Before and during the festival
Love to meet new people and good at taking care of others? A shift as a Caretaker can involve everything between heaven and earth! There are always things that come up during a festival that need to be fixed. You will be the one who helps where there is a need across different work areas. The caretaker can easily become the hero of the day! You will help the festival face the unexpected. The job gives you the opportunity to gain insight into a wide range of tasks that are necessary to run a festival. It is an advantage to know the city well, or to master the art of reading maps on the phone. The Caretakers are the group that support the rest of the volunteers during the festival and ensure that they have a good time at work. You register volunteers, give them accreditation, merch, and you maintain a nice and tidy place where they can take a break.
Caretakers will help the volunteer coordinator to deal with issues during the festival like:
- Help prepare for distribution
- Help prepare volunteer events (Borealis Listening Club, volunteer meetings, volunteer party)
- Help prepare accreditation for volunteers
- Help with giving out info / equipment / food / coffee to volunteers during the festival
- Maintain the volunteer area
- Cover a range of ad-hoc practical production jobs
- Become an emergency volunteer
Artist Host
Are you a very social person and want to help us take good care of our artists? Be their main contact as an artist host and ensure that they have everything they need when they need it. It’s important to be good at solving problems and to have good control over the schedule of the artists and in general be accomodating and ready to solve small and big issues.
Practical Production
before, during and after the festival
This group, simply said, builds the festival. We need you to help us build the structure of the festival — stages and rooms must be changed for different artists and concerts, instruments must be carried, and sound and lighting must be in place for the events to be carried out. This job can involve some heavy lifting and late nights – but always in good company and as part of a team. You will get insight into the work that goes in both pre and post concert, and how cultural events are produced. In addition, you will be involved in planning and thinking about how an arena should look so that the audience will have the best possible experience, and meet exciting artists with artistic visions that you will put into practice.
Driver
Do you have a driving licence? Do you know your way around Bergen by car, and like chatting with new people? Join the transport team in their quest to make sure that artists and guests get where they need to be, as well as helping the festival team with deliveries to and from the festival’s various venues. You’ll meet a bunch of amazing artists, delegates and crew, and be Borealis’ representative when they arrive. As a driver, it is a prerequisite that you can provide good service and help with luggage and pick up and drop-off. If you love people and/or cars – sign up!
Give us your top 3 bakes in the form
What do we expect from you?
- That you attend meetings / training before the festival.
- That you work 18-24 hours before, during OR after the festival.
- We ask you to wear your Borealis T-shirt at work so the public knows who to ask.
- That you behave friendly and inclusively towards our audience, your colleagues and others you meet at work for Borealis – the festival does not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or other forms of discrimination.
- That you let us know if you become ill or for other reasons can not show up for your shifts.
- That you stay sober and that you do not drink alcohol on duty or while wearing the Borealis t-shirt.
Volunteer Handbooks
Here you can find all of the Volunteer Handbook. You can also scan this QR code:
What can you expect from us?
What can you expect from us:
- Contract.
- Invitation to social gatherings.
- Training and clear work instructions.
- Borealis T-shirt and merch.
- Food every day you work (5 hours or more.)
- Free admission to concerts.
- Work certificate (on request).
During the festival
When you’ve registered as a volunteer you will be assigned shifts via our system Crescat. All information about when you’re working and where, who you’ll be meeting there and more on “your page” in this system. This info is sent out by our Volunteer Coordinator Émilie Fanor-Fontaine.
During the festival the Volunteer Coordinator and Volunteer Assistant will be available on:
Borealis’ Volunteer Hub in Bergen Internasjonale Kultursenter | Kong Oscarsgt. 15
Accreditation
You can pick up you t-shirt, wristband, volunteer badge and merch:
Borealis Office | Strandgaten 207
9 March, 11.00–15.00
10 March, 08.00–12.00
11 March, 14.00–18.00
Borealis’ Volunteer Hub at Bergen Internasjonale Kultursenter | Kong Oscarsgt. 15
13–19 March | 09.00–21.00